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MY FIRST WORLDCON EVER! Worldcon 75 was held right here in Helsinki and naturally I was there! There was so much program but I’m quite happy with the panels I saw, though some of them felt a little unstructured and unplanned. The turnout was quite something, it’s hard to believe that in the history of the con, this was the second largest as far as visitor amount goes. Yay Finland! One of my favorite moments was meeting Joe Abercrombie, who was super nice and signed my book and took a photo with me. Also, I did squee quite a bit when seeing George R.R. Martin <3 Here’s a quick rundown of the panels I attended at Worldcon.

My First Novel – How to get StartedMary Robinette Kowal, Elizabeth Bear, Erika Vik, Walter Jon Williams, Karen LordMany people dream about writing a novel, but never actually get started. The panel discusses the various ways one may find the inspiration and drive to actually put the pen to paper (or characters on the screen).

Karen Lord, a Barbadian writer of speculative fiction, emphasized that as a writer you have to find your character’s quirk and figure out what makes them special, because you ARE NOT your character. You can’t bring yourself into every story because, in the end, it gets boring.

The panel pointed out that writing, like many things, is non-binary. There are more than two ways of going about things. This was in reference to a view in the writing circles that an author is either a plotter or a pantser.

Their tips on getting over a writer’s block were to e.g. move to writing about another section of the story, do something else entirely, make deadlines, revise your earlier writing… or meet Gene Wolfe who apparently by his presence cured Walter John Williams‘s writer’s block.

Much of the discussion in this panel revolved around the need for diversity in trans representation. There is too much focus on how much trans characters hate themselves, even though it is not necessarily representative of the reality (or a healthy representation of the trans experience). The “born this way” narrative seems to steamroll over all other narratives. The focus on the stories is always on coming to terms with being trans and seeking acceptance from one’s social circles, but that should not be the only story about being trans. There was a general cry for something more: “Give us the space opera or cute romance where trans people are characters among the rest and their trans-ness is not the focus. And give us stories of trans people loving themselves.” This line of discussion also raised the point about diversity in general: Why is there no representation of homeless trans PoC when in reality many homeless kids are trans? There appears to be a single narrative problem, not only in that the narrative is always about coming to terms with being trans but also in that the main characters tend to be white middle class teens. Also, the stories about trans people are often focused on characters who want to transition while not all trans people even want that.

The moderator asked whether it’s worse to have bad representations in literature than no representation at all. The consensus seemed to be that while bad representations are obviously not ideal, at least they can be used as a stepping board to something better. And the harmfulness of those bad representations can be manifested as feelings of uncertainty and doubt in trans youth who are not seeing themselves in the stories.

Continuing on about the bad writing choices in trans representations, the panel raised the point that authors should avoid technology that allows for the change of one’s sex in scifi because it erases the trans identity completely. It’s comparable to the cure narratives in relation to disabilities in scifi. Also, in general, authors should talk to actual trans people about details, such as binders, in order to reflect the reality of trans life.

When discussing the reason why trans stories might work in YA lit, the panelists mentioned that since YA readers are still in the learning phase in their lives, it makes them more open to trans characters – they are less biased. However, they also pointed out that while readers might be open-minded, the publishers can be fairly conservative.

Hel-YA!: Helsinki Young Adult Literary Convention is a brand new literature event that was organized by Kaiken Entertainment, Gummerus Publishers, Otava, Tammi and WSOY for the first time a little over a week ago in Suvilahti, Helsinki. While there are literature events in Finland, such as book fairs and Helsinki Lit, no event focuses on young adult literature, which around the world is a huge market. This has, however, now been corrected by the emergence of Hel-YA!. Here is a quick rundown of the panels at Hel-YA! festival and on the things the various authors had to say.

In the Beginning, There Was a Story: How Story Worlds Are BuiltMintie Das, Emmi Itäranta, Salla Simukka, Johanna Valkama, Erika Vik

In this first panel of the day, many of the authors revealed how the story comes to them: some have their new character whisper into their ear while some see an image that becomes the story.Mintie Das said that she wants to bring out women’s stories that have traditionally been hidden (hence her Storm Sisters books about female pirates). She creates her story world through these kickass characters. She also described her planning process as similar to that of a detective with a huge board filled with clues.Salla Simukka was quick to comment to a question about strong female characters that she doesn’t like it when people use that term because no one talks about a “strong male characters”. Distinctions like that shouldn’t exist.
Meanwhile, Erika Vik writes specific messages into her Twinsuns novels, which deal with the fear of unknown, prejudice, and responsibility of media. She is also very visual in her creative process because she is a graphic designer.Johanna Valkama, on the other hand, has a very nature-oriented approach, which definitely shows in her books about Iron Age Finland.

For Girls, for Boys, for Others: Who Writes and for Whom?Antti Halme, Siri Kolu, Aki Parhamaa, Anders Vacklin, Elina Rouhiainen

Siri Kolu said that she didn’t want to write anyone into invisibility. After a few years of writing the novel, she really noticed how privileged she is. She was very vocal during the panel about everyone’s right to be able to read about themselves in literature, no matter whether you’re gay, asexual, black, white, boy, girl.Elina Rouhiainen mentioned during this panel that she has grown with her books and become more confident about stepping into other peoples’ skin. She also personally considers teenage girls fascinating, which is why she writes about them.

Skype interview with Holly Bourne

The author of the funny and uplifting Spinster series, Holly Bourne, did a special Skype appearance and was interviewed by Mintie. Bourne explained that she wanted to celebrate friendship in the series, because friendships are extremely important and usually long lasting in that age. They are more defining for teen years than romantic dalliances.
She really wanted the message in the first book of the series, Am I Normal Yet?, to be: “It’s not your fault this happened to you, so don’t beat yourself up.” The novel in question deals with mental illness and is a humorous but truthful and honest story of Evie, who suffers from OCD.
Bourne also recommended for any budding authors to read the Goodreads reviews for your favorite books if you are bummed out about reviews for your own. And her final advice to writers was “JUST WRITE!”

Do You Want to be an Author?
Pt 1: How I Became a YA authorKatri Alatalo, Juuli Niemi, Siri Kolu

Kolu basically told everyone who wants to be a writer that they just have to become one. Simple as that.Juuli Niemi also admitted that she thought the phone call she got from the publisher was from a telemarketer.

This panel started with real talk about sex. Mintie mentioned she wants it to be gritty and real because when you’re young you have all kinds of sexual experiences and not all of them are all rainbows and sunshine. Rouhiainen finds them easy to write, while Emmi Itäranta doesn’t include them in her books at all. Simukka, on the other hand, feels a responsibility to go past the kiss when writing queer romance because so often queer sexual experiences are left out and not represented at all.

This panel was about fantasy in general and the authors came to the conclusion that Finnish fantasy is fairly modest in nature. Katri Alatalo also mentioned how she views herself more through her genre, fantasy, rather than the age of the readers. This elicited comments on how in fantasy the readership is often large, varying from quite young readers to adults.

In addition to Finnish authors, there were also video greetings from Estelle Maskame and Cassandra Clare.

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Yay, a new post series! I read so much that I figured I should share my favorite books with you, too! I will share four of my favorites in each post and give a short plot exposition and my personal opinion on them. If you are fluent in Finnish you can also check out The YA Diaries book blog that I write for with a bunch of other bookworms!

E. Lockhart: We Were Liars

This novel deals with self-acceptance, difficult familial relationships, morality and the consequences of thoughtlessness and mistakes. Most of the events take place on a private island of a wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who meet there every summer. However, one particular summer is different from the rest. Now, after a two year break, Cadence, Johnny, Gat and Mirren return to the island, and their secrets as well as the mystery of Cadence’s recent memory loss are unveiled.

This book I spotted originally on social media and I got it without knowing too much about it. In the beginning I had a bit of a tough time getting into the story but once I did I was completely immersed. I don’t necessarily even like the plot that much but rather the atmosphere and style of the novel.

Sarah J. Maas: Throne of Glass -series

This high fantasy series follows Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin in Adarlan, a land ruled by a ruthless king. After being imprisoned for a year Celaena enters a competition to become the king’s champion and, thus, earning her freedom after a four year contract. She bonds with Chaol, the captain of the guard, and finds an unexpected ally in the crown prince Dorian. However, there is something evil lurking in the castle and soon everyone is in danger. Celaena has a bigger destiny than she can even begin to guess, and the whole kingdom is at stake!

I could go on and on about this series (I couldn’t even narrow it down to one favorite book in the series) but I will try to keep it brief. I love kickass heroines who need no saving and are super sassy. And the world and different creatures in the series are really well fleshed out. It’s truly an epic fantasy (my fav kind!). I think you can definitely tell that Maas started writing very young and the first book is NOT my favorite but the series and characters develop really quickly and during the second book I was already in love. The romance plots don’t overwhelm the other parts of the novels and you just can’t help but root for the young, beautiful assassin!

Susan Ee: Angelfall

Angels of the apocalypse are destroying the human world as we know it. Street gangs, crime, fear, violence… it’s rough trying to just survive from day to day. 17-year-old Penryn is trying to do just that but when her little sister is taken by the angels she has to take action. In this case, that means aligning herself with another angel. Raffe is a warrior angel who has been attacked by his own kind – Penryn helps him in exchange for him leading her to the stronghold of the angels who have her sister. Penryn will risk everything to save her family… but can she trust her enemy?

Angelfall I discovered on Amazon while browsing for books, and I was intrigued by the premise. I think Supernatural has sparked my interest in angels and the lore around them, so I ended up buying the book and, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. While there is a fairly obvious love story going on, the angels are interesting and I like that they are the dangerous enemy, instead of some more obvious monsters. This was a very quick read and I definitely recommend it to fantasy readers, who are looking for a little break from vampires, werewolves, and witches.

Sabaa Tahir: An Ember in the Ashes

The Martial Empire rules over its lands with an iron fist. Whoever resists meets a swift death. Laia is a slave girl, one of the Scholars under the Empire’s control. Elias is a soldier but also a prisoner of his surroundings. When Laia’s brother is arrested for conspiring against the Empire, she has to risk her life and trust strangers in a world that rewards trust with suffering. When Laia and Elias’s paths cross, neither knows how far the consequences will stretch.

MY NEW FAVORITE! Okay, not super new since I’ve already read the sequel as well. But new-ish favorite nonetheless. I love desert fantasy and the new kind of setting for fantasy stories. It’s nice to have a different set of lore that the author pulls inspiration from.

Have you read any of these books? Did you like them? Also, gimme reading tips if you have any…I’m always on the lookout for more books :D

Lately I’ve been all about books. I think my publishing internship is rubbing on me because, while I’ve always read a lot, this fall I’ve doubled the amount of books I’ve read. This whole year actually. Naturally then, my Christmas wish list this year is mainly books. I’ve been reading a lot of YA and fantasy so most of these are continuations of series.

Sabaa Tahir’s Torch against the Night I’m really excited about because An Ember in the Ashes was BRILLIANT! I can’t say enough good things about it. The Invasion of the Tearling is also a sequel. It continues from the events of The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. Holly Bourne’s …and a Happy New Year? is the latest Spinster Club book and after reading the original trilogy I’m OBSESSED. Holly Bourne writes in such a relatable and funny way. Anna Kendrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody has been something I’ve wanted to read for a while. Also, after watching the new episodes of Gilmore Girls (Did you watch them? Thoughts?), I really want to get my hands on Lauren Graham’s Talking as Fast as I can.

I feel like everyone (including yours truly) is on a Harry Potter high this year. First we got the Cursed Child, now Fantastic Beasts movie AND book, and I’m also going to see the play in London in a month. So obviously, I included a little Hufflepuff-y goodness: the house scarf! I also love the Luna Lovegood mug, she’s definitely one of the most lovable cooky characters in the series. And how cute is the BB-8 mug?! I also really need a new watch and this kitty one speaks to my cat lady soul. Finally, the Doctor Who mug…because it combines Christmas and one of my favorite fandoms.

What’s on your wish list this Christmas? Anything you fancy on my list?

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The second part of my recap of the completely amazing Helsinki Book Fair 2016 is finally here! So, obviously I spent most of my time doing social media posts of Gummerus panels and authors (you can see our Insta here). However, I did manage to spend most of my money there also. After I had splurged on the Harry Potter books (see previous post) and the Ravenrings trilogy, I also was inspired to buy a steampunk anthology after I listened to a fascinating steampunk panel with Magdalena Hai, J.S. Meresmaa, and Anni Nupponen who were interviewed by Paula Havaste. I really like how such a niche genre as steampunk is becoming something even more special as it takes on Finnish culture and geography.

I also found so many beautiful and fun looking books. I think one of my favorite parts of the fair was just looking at the plethora of book covers! On occasion, I could’ve just bought the books based on their appearance. And yet they say “don’t judge a book by its cover”! :P

I can’t imagine what the fair must be for those who have to stay in their booth for the entire time. I guess no one really has to do full days but I felt exhausted from just walking around and standing so much. Coffee was the only thing keeping me going on the last day. However, I did help with packing everything up and now I can say I’ve seen (almost) everything that goes into making a book fair happen: from planning the look of the booth to stacking the books (I did a book pyramid, hurrah) and packing everything away in the end. It’s an exhausting and huge part of the year but also an incredible adrenaline boost. And I had the best work mates to hang with whenever I had free time which was a plus!
Do you ever go to book fairs?

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The Helsinki Book Fair was about a week ago and I was attending because of my publishing internship at Gummerus Publishers. I’ve been lucky enough to get a ticket almost every year due to some kind of related work but this was the first time I was there for all four days, from morning til evening.

The book fair is always really hectic but amazing. I love seeing all the new books and especially the offers! However, it can get a little claustrophobic after a while. I was in charge of social media during the fair so I spent my time shuttling between the various stages listening to Gummerus authors give fantastic (no, I’m not biased :P ) presentations and interviews.

I did manage to get some non-work related things done as well: I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Siri Pettersen, author of the Ravenrings trilogy, and listen to a panel where she talked about fantasy as well as her books. She even signed my trilogy!

Siri talked about how the same people who are bottle fed on fantasy will be the same ones who will be inspired to save the world and how fantasy creates heroes. She also mentioned thinking that all good stories are political. And goodness, she was hilarious! Also, I will totally from now on use her term for the lack of fantasy elements in a story: SDD = Severe Dragon Deficiency.

Jaana Kapari-Jatta, the Finnish translator of Harry Potter, also spoke at several interviews at the fair. She is such an inspiration, I really love how she has managed to translate not only the words but also the feeling and atmosphere of J.K. Rowling’s writing.

Obviously, I also bought a ton of books, some of which are here. So, I got some Harry Potter related books, because I love to relive all the little moments from the movies and books. I also bought Half Bad by Sally Green, which is actually published in Finland by Gummerus. I hadn’t read her books before despite having heard good things about them so I figured this is the perfect time to start. With Half Bad, I got another paperback (you got the second one cheaper): Kesytön. It’s a werewolf story and while I don’t have high hopes for it, it seemed like a good on-the-way-to-work reading.

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Oh the nostalgia – it’s been such a long time since the last time I got to gush over a new Harry Potter book!

I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as soon as it came out but I wanted to think about it first for a while before writing anything. Then my internship started and it got pushed even further. But here are some of my thoughts on the new play (in the book format…actual play review will come only in January when I get to see it).

I get the feeling that a lot of people are disappointed in Cursed Child because it doesn’t present as vivid of a world as the originals…but how could it? It’s a play that is supposed to work on stage with the emotions of the actors and props guiding the story. A play in a book format is only the lines of the actors so naturally it doesn’t feel quite as engaging as a regular narrative.

I did find the writing somewhat fanfiction-y but I didn’t feel like it was too distracting. However, I can completely understand why it would bug a lot of people the wrong way. Overall though, I really liked Cursed Child. I guess Harry Potter will always have me under a spell ;)

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Our Shared Shelf, the feminist book club Emma Watson founded on Goodreads, is now well established and has a huge following as well as some very fascinating discussions on various aspects of womanhood. I was very eager to try and read all the books chosen for the club because I wanted to expand my horizons and discover books outside of my YA/fantasy-filled comfort zone.

Our Shared Shelf started with Steinem’s My Life on the Road, which right away generated a mixed bag of opinions: some readers appreciated Steinem’s strong point of view while others thought her writing as abrasive and inconsiderate. My Life on the Road is Steinem’s memoir that collects stories and anecdotes from her travels, while discussing important figures such as Martin Luther King and Hillary Clinton. She is also very focused on activism and talks about many of her fellow activists. While her writing can be somewhat disorganized, the overall tone of the book will quickly engage the reader.

I haven’t been so affected by a book in a long while like I was by The Color Purple. Walker’s novel has often been censured due to its themes of sexuality and violence. This of course tends to be the case with books that are in the position to make a real change in the prejudices of our society. The novel is structured as a diary (and later, letters) that is being written by a young African-American woman, Celie, in the 1930s. Celie shows true growth and strength of character as she learns to deal with racism, sexual assault, and an unhappy family life.

Another book that divided opinions was All About Love: New Visions. bell hooks is widely regarded as a great thinker and feminist, which is why it was surprising that this particular work of hers was in fact slightly off-putting with its frequent, long-winded thoughts about religion. Furthermore, the book struck me as perhaps even too theoretical when talking about love and how one should find it and how it relates to e.g. abuse. However, it was still an interesting read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in theoretical discussions, existentialism, religion, or philosophy. And, of course, feminism!

How to Be a Woman is a hilarious, strange, and quirky piece of writing that might rub you the wrong way – or it might crack you up like no other! While I had trouble understanding some references (international reader here, hello), more often than not I found myself snorting with laughter while I read. Moran has strong opinions about all the different things women are “supposed to” be like and she is utterly unapologetic about it. She is a great example of a woman who has found her path in life and at least appears to be totally comfortable in her skin.
Our Shared Shelf is reading along quickly and the May book has been plowed through as well. I will post a review of The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson and the newly announced June book (graphic novel) is Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (and a few more additions hopefully) at the end of the summer.